Issued by Additional Chief Secretary Niranjan Mardi, the order said a highly competent authority has to probe these cases, citing “inter-state and international ramifications” in such investigations and the need for extraditing accused with the help of various central agencies.
The Tamil Nadu government has issued an order transferring all cases of idol theft being probed by the CID’s idol wing to the CBI. The order, issued on August 1, comes in wake of a tussle between the state government and the court-appointed investigator, IGP A G Pon Manickavel.
Issued by Additional Chief Secretary Niranjan Mardi, the order said a highly competent authority has to probe these cases, citing “inter-state and international ramifications” in such investigations and the need for extraditing accused with the help of various central agencies.
Manickavel, who is scheduled to retire in November, is credited for exposing many idol theft cases, apart from his close links with J Jayalalithaa’s aide V K Sasikala. The tussle between the conferred IPS officer and the government started after the death of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
Informing a Division Bench of Justices R Mahadevan and P D Audikesavalu, which was constituted by Madras High Court Chief Justice Indira Banerjee to hear idol theft related cases, Additional Advocate General P H Arvindh Pandian said Wednesday that the decision to transfer the probe to the central agency was meant to inspire public confidence. He told the court that “one arm of the government (the CID Idol Wing) was found trying to hurt another (Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department).”
Lawyers of IGP Manickavel and HR&CE commissioner R Jaya had levelled several charges in court. While Manickavel was accused of not cooperating with seniors in review meetings, he alleged that his seniors, ranked ADGP and DGP, were trying to obtain sensitive information about his investigations.
Another reason cited was the government’s decision towards the arrest of M Kavitha, HR&CE Additional Commissioner, by the idol investigation team two days ago. She was booked under charges, including misappropriation of gold in the two Panchaloha idols made for the Ekambaranathar temple in Kancheepuram. It was alleged that there was no gold in the idols which were supposed to have 5.75 kg of it. Kavitha had allegedly supervised the process and the arrest led to her colleagues in HR&CE planning to go on leave en-masse.
The tussle between the government and IGP Manickavel began after Jayalalithaa’s death. When Sasikala and her family members were made to leave the AIADMK, Manickavel was among the officers to lose postings for links with Sasikala. He was spotted several times with Sasikala on her temple visits after she left the Poes Garden residence, when nobody in the party or government showed any support for her. However, he was appointed as the head of the idol wing after Sasikala’s return to power.
DMK working president M K Stalin Thursday questioned the move to transfer the case. He alleged that the government was not letting the IGP work, recalling the government’s decision to transfer him earlier and the Madras HC cancelling that order.
When Stalin raised the issue of the government affecting idol theft probes in the Assembly in June, CM Edappadi K Palaniswami denied all charges, saying that 325 members were appointed additionally to the idol wing as per the Madras HC directive.
The Opposition PMK also questioned the move with party leader Anbumani Ramadoss saying that the government mistrusting an honest officer is like the proverb “everyone is wrong because I am a thief.”
An ADGP rank official said there was merit in many cases Manickavel probed as the head of idol wing. “But what went wrong was the larger than life image he gained over seven years. Subsequently, complaints were also raised in the department that he was not briefing his superiors… His close links to Sasikala family made him more vulnerable after the ouster of Sasikala,” the officer said.